In His Arms
by NightBeast
Summary: Sasuke and Sakura are falling in love, but neither one wants to admit it. Can they admit it in time to live happily ever after? 2nd story of the "Captive Hearts" trilogy. PLEASE R & R! The first story is "In His Shadow", pairing: Shikamaru and Temari.
1. Drunken Brawl

In His Arms  
(The Sequal To: In His Shadow)  
Chapter 1  
Pairing: Sasuke and Sakura  
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto...

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A.N.: Some parts may reference In His Shadow, but you don't need to read it if you don't want to (I encourage you to read it, though! In my opinion, a good story. Rated M, just like this one.)

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Sakura stood at the front of the church, observing one of her good friends, Temari, repeat her vows after the pastor said them. _She's so lucky! _Sakura thought, watching as Shikamaru leaned over and kissed his new wife's lips. She remembered how Temari had said her and Shikamaru were getting married because he finally proposed to her. She had been happy on the outside, but on the inside, she felt devistated. She was loosing her best friend to Shikamaru! _Guess Hinata and I have to catch up on old times and become really good friends, better than we are right now._ She had spent some time with Hinata, but not as much as she had with Temari.

Her and Sasuke had had a fight the night they were all at the club. She remembered it like it was yesterday instead of five months ago.

She had been dancing with a really cute guy, trying to make Sasuke a little jealous, not realizing how upset he would be. She remembered putting her arms around the guys neck, and he had leaned down and whispered something in her ear. She had laughed, then felt hands on her shoulders before she was roughly jerked back away from her dance partner. She looked into his face, seeing fear written across it, then she had turned around to see Sasuke scowling at the guy, giving him the fiercest look she'd ever seen.

He had told the guy to back off, then dragged her away. Much like Temari, she slapped his face and walked away, declaring that he wasn't her keeper, and didn't even look back, just kept on walking.

When she had gotten outside, she had seen Temari and Shikamaru making out, then after Naruto had interrupted them, she chased after Temari, who had run away. She found Temari crying at her house, and when she had been told everything, she had gone to Hinata's house and spent the night. Surprisingly, she hadn't been that shy. They actually had a good conversation.

_Which brings me to here. _She thought wryly, observing the happily married couple walking down the aisle, with her, the lonely bridesmaid, trailing behind them. As she walked down the aisle, she felt eyes watching her every move, and turned around to find Sasuke looking directly at her...

* * *

Sasuke sat there, observing Sakura. _What is she thinking about? _Sasuke wondered. The look on her face was priceless. He had thought his facial expressions were scary, but looking at her face just now, he was scared. _Must be thinking about me. _He chuckled at the thought, then sobered. He remembered what she had said to him at the club.

_You're not my keeper._

And she had said it with such passion and he had enjoyed the fire in her eyes as she brought her hand back and slapped him directly across his face.

_She always was very fiery._ He recalled. He got up to go congradulate Shikamaru when he heard some guys talking about- or to- someone. "Poor girl. She can't have Sasuke, so she tries to go after any guy." one said, sounding drunk.

"Do not!" a very familiar voice said, sounding angry.

"Yes you do. You're a little hussy, throwing yourself at any available guy." a very slurred voice said.

"Come here, sugar. Show me what you'd show Sasuke." another drunk called out.

Sasuke couldn't take much more. "Hello, boys. Why are you drunk and the celebration has just begun?" He asked, walking over to where Sakura was being held by some beefy guy. "And you. Why are you holding her against her will? Let the girl go."

"Sorry, but no can do. She wants me to hold her as close to me as she can get." the man said, slipping his hand up her front.

Sasuke was gritting his teeth. _Why do I always come when she's being groped by other guys?_ he thought, getting angry because she wasn't even sticking up for herself. He grabbed her, yanked her out of the guys grasp, and punched him in the jaw. The guy's eyes rolled to the back of his head and he collapsed to the ground. The other guys left, deciding she wasn't worth a bloody nose. He cracked his nuckles, then turned to offer her a hand up. She took it and said, "Thanks." She brushed out the wrinkles in her dress, and bent down to pick a piece of grass of the bottom of her skirt. "I think I was fine on my own, but thanks for stepping in."

"Sure." he said, rolling his eyes. "You would've been on the ground screaming in five seconds after ha had you in his arms." He paused, then added sarcastically, "You were very fine on your own."

She didn't say anything, just turned around and left. "Mind your own business."

_Ouch! I think I need some ice for that burn! It had to be at least 2nd degree, maybe even a 3rd degree burn._ He walked over to where Ino and Shikamaru stood.

"Congratulations, you two. I told you she liked you better." Sasuke said, shaking hands with Shikamaru, and nodding at Ino.

"Where's Sakura?" Ino asked.

"She left after being molested by a drunk." Sasuke stated calmly.

"Really? Already?" Ino said. "I'm going to go to her house." When Shikamaru gave her a glare, she said hurriedly, "Don't worry! I'll be back in two hours or less! Just in time for bed time." She kissed her new husband on the lips, then left, leaving the two men to talk alone.

"You need to get a girl, Sasuke." Shikamaru said, grinning after Ino.

"No, I don't." he said adamantly. "What in the world's happened to you, Shikamaru?"

"It's a crazy little thing called love, and I'm sorry. I forgot you had Sakura."

"No, I definitely do not have Sakura, nor do I want to!" Sasuke said. "I don't need a woman, and that's final!" _Or do I?_ he thought, recalling the rage he had felt when he had seen Sakura being hit on-again-by someone other than him.

"We'll see. We'll see." Shikamaru said with that all-knowing grin of his...

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This will be continued very shortly! please read it and review! i would appreciate your oppinions!

NightBeast


	2. Temari's Wedding

In His Arms  
Chapter 2  
Pairing: Sasuke and Sakura  
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto...

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"Sakura! Wait up!" Temari called, not able to run because of her dress. "Temari! What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with Shikamaru?" Sakura called.

"I told him I wanted to have one last talk with my girl." Temari said, draping an arm around Sakura. "Let's go get changed."

They walked to Temari's house to get changed into normal clothes, then Temari had Sakura sit down on the bed next to her. "Sakura, what's up?"

"Nothing."

"You're not a very good liar." Ino said.

"When you and Shikamaru made love to each other, was it warm and passionate?"

Temari, taken aback at her friend's question, answered, "Well, yeah. What else would it feel like?" She stopped and thought about it. "Tell me you didn't…"

"Not by choice. He forced himself on me." Sakura said, not wanting her frined to know about that encounter on the way home from the club.

"That jerk! I'm going to kill him!" Ino declared, getting up to go.

"But you don't know where he is." Sakura declared.

"Isn't he still talking to Shikamaru?"

Realization dawned then. "You think that Sasuke's the one who did it!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Well, who else could it have been?"

"I don't know who he was, other than the guy who I danced with. He followed me out, pressed himself on me, then when I refused, he slapped me and beat me until I couldn't move, then..." Sakura shuddered, remembering his fists beating her, the pain, and all the blood when he was done.

"Oh, Sakura! I'm so sorry! You poor thing!" Temari said, grabbing Sakura in a big hug.

Before she knew it, they were crying together, and Sakura finally got out all the details. "Looks like we've traded places." Temari said. At Sakura's confused look, she went on. "You were there for me when I needed a shoulder to cry on, and now it's my turn."

"I appreciate it." Sakura dabbed her eyes with a Kleenex, then blew her nose.

Just then, Shikamaru came in, and wanted to know what they were doing here. "I have looked everywhere for you because you never said where you two were going!" He stopped, realizing that they were crying. "What's wrong? Surely it's not because we're married, Temari."

"Oh, no! Definitely not! We're just…sad that we're no longer the double trouble single ladies anymore. One's married, and the other one's going to have to be alone or find someone else to take the other's place-which will be very hard to do." Sakura said. "You two probably want to be alone. Have a good time tonight." She left, oddly feeling content and happy, missing the silent communication going on behind her.

* * *

Sasuke was walking home, slightly drunk because he'd found the best way to ease his pain and annoyance: beer. He got to thinking about Sakura and the events that have transpired between them recently._ She's too moody for my liking. The only way she's changed is she's grown more attractive in her appearance. _He staggered down the street and almost tripped over someone. "Who the heck would be lying in the middle of the street?" he shouted, righting himself.

"Sasuke? Is that you? Are you...drunk?" Naruto asked, noticing that his friend didn't look too right in appearance.

"No. Of course not! I've only had a couple of beers." Sasuke said, sitting down on the ground.

_He is definitely drunk._ Naruto thought, observing him. "Looks like good old Shikamaru finally got himself hitched, leaving the three amigos with only 2 lonely men."

"Well, better to be single than tied down to one female. It lets us 'look around' more freely."

"True, but I wish I had _one_ girl who would love me in return, and be true to me." Naruto looked up into the sun setting sky and said, "You're one lucky guy, Sasuke, because you have one."

"Everybody says that! I'm sick and tired of it! Yes, I know Sakura did love me at one time, but she doesn't love me now!" Sasuke exploded, startling Naruto.

"Do you love her, Sasuke?" he asked his friend.

"I don't need a woman, let alone that one!" he said haughtily.

"That doesn't answer my question. I loved her at one time, but I'm not sure if I can love her, knowing that she loves you." Naruto said, recalling his former crush. "I thought we could be together, but it just won't work with you in the middle. I just can't compete with you."

Sasuke got up. "You shouldn't give up just because one other guy's in the picture." He stumbled on the curb, but the rest of his walk home was uneventful. _I need to get her out of my system!_ Sasuke thought. _Why does she have the power to anger me? _He got to his lodging, then lay down on his bed, thinking back over the years.

He recalled all of the adventures Naruto, Sakura, and he had gone on. All the fights she'd fought with them by their side. Of how she had nursed him when Orochimaru had put the curse on him, of her saying how much she loved him.

_When did all that change? _He thought. _When did __I __change? She's always been just a friend to me. Is it possible that she could mean more to me? _

Sakura went to Hinata's house, deciding it was time to develop thier friendship a little more. She had a couple of things in her bag that she had hastily packed, and went to the front door of Hinata's place. She knocked on the door, and waited for an answer...

* * *

Meanwhile (With Shikamaru and Temari)...

"Temari, what was the real reason you and Sakura were crying earlier?" Shikamaru asked, rubbing her back for her. They had just spent a little of the night together, their wedding night, and it was full of passion so far, and his question shocked Ino.

"Why do you want to know?" Temari asked, enjoying the feeling of his hands rubbing up and down her back.

"Because. You both just seemed so...sad."

"That's because Sakura's had some...disappointments in her life, and now that arrogant friend of yours is making it worse!" Temari said, not wanting to talk about it.

"I was thinking, what do you think about Sasuke and Sakura as a couple?" Shikamaru asked, finished with his back rub.

Temari looked at him. "Is that you, Shikamaru? Are you feeling okay? Are you sure you're my husband?"

"Very funny, Temari. I am being serious." Shikamaru said, scowling at her, even though the twinkle in his eyes told her he was not really mad at her.

"Yes, I do think they would go really great together. She's loved him since we were little. We always fought over him, but he wasn't right for me. Sakura was. She still is. But they both need to work through their problems." She said, looking at her husband.

"I agree." They both sat there, thinking about their two friends, and how they both deserved to find the same happiness that they found together, in each other's arms.

TO BE CONTINUED...

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I completely forgot that I decided to change Ino to Temari in my story "In His Shadow!" I'm sorry! I wrote this one as the second story, but wanted to include Temari and Shikamaru's story in this one, just in case anyone wanted to continue their story. ENJOY!

~NightBeast


	3. Girl Talk

In His Arms  
Chapter 3  
Pairing: Sasuke and Sakura  
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto...

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A.N.: Don't mind this chapter! It's mainly a Sakura and Hinata discussion...so please don't shoot this one up in flames...

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The door cracked open, and a shy Hinata opened it. "Hello?"

"Hi, Hinata! It's me, Sakura. May I come in?" Sakura asked, praying for patience. _I am really going to need it! Especially if we're to get past all this shyness stuff!_

"O-oh! H-hi, Sakura." She replied, opening the door, inviting her in.

"I hope it's no inconvenience, but would you mind if I spend the night?"

"N-no, of course not!" Hinata exclaimed in her quiet voice.

Sakura came in, and followed HInata to her room. As she was walking, Neji came walking out of his room with only a towel on_. Oh my goodness!_ Sakura thought. She looked at his upper body structure, noticing how well it looked, but knew that it couldn't even come close to comparing with Sasuke's well-built body. _In fact, no one can. He's just...so perfect! A lot more broad-shouldered and muscular that Neji can ever hope to be! Definitely more muscular!_

"S-Sakura!" Neji stumbled out. "I didn't know you'd be coming to stay here tonight!" He blushed, realizing what he was wearing. _Bear it like a man! If you don't, she'll never want to speak or talk to you again! Not that she does now..._he thought, putting on a fake smile, and said out loud, "Hello, Sakura."

"Hi, Neji." She replied, moving down the hall. _That was…interesting._

"H-here's m-my room, Sakura." Hinata said, and motioned her inside

"Thank you, Hinata. I'm hoping we can move past all this shyness and become better acquainted." Sakura said, placing her bag on the floor.

"S-sure! T-that would be fine." Hinata said. "I'd like it a lot."

_Almost no stuttering._ "Good. Let's begin with some girl talk. Should we continue where we left off the last time?"

"Y-yes." Hinata sat down on the bed.

"We were talking about guys, and who we like." Sakura said. "You first."

"O-okay. Um…I…uh…like…N-Nar-Naruto." she said, blushing.

"Realy?!" Sakura said. Then she realized all the signs. "That's so cool."

"Yeah, it is, but he doesn't even know I exist!" she thought out loud, anger causing her not to stutter.

"Yes he does! He talks to you every once in awhile." Sakura replied.

"But he doesn't think of me as a woman! Just some...person off the streets!"

"That's..." _very true._ she finished in her head. "Um...if it helps, Sasuke doesn't like me. He doesn't even like females in general!" She paused. "I am not saying that he's gay, but he just stays away from girls."

"Really?" Hinata asked, referring to the part where she had said that he doesn't like her, either, feeling relieved.

"Yes. Even though I don't think I would ever really marry him, though." she said, becoming sad.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm...impure." she said, cursing the man whom she danced with. _It's your own fault for leading him on!_

"What happened?" Hinata asked, wide-eyed. "Did you...want to do it?" she asked.

"No, I didn't, but I had no choice." Sakura shivered. "Let's not talk about it."

"O-okay." Hinata replied, and for the rest of the night, they talked together about different things. Hinata's background with Neji, Sakura's friendship with Temari, and the new marriage between Temari and Shikamaru.

"How I would like to get married!" Hinata exclaimed, no longer shy. She also forgot Sakura's comment earlier.

"You can, you just need to get over your shyness! Getting to know you tonight helped me to realize that you're a really sweet person and any man would be lucky to have you." Sakura declared.

Hinata just nodded. They fell asleep around 3:45 A.M. and were awoken around 7:00 A.M. Sakura said good-bye to Hinata, and left for her home, thankful she didn't have to have any strange encounters with Neji. When she got there, she was so tired that she just lay down on her bed, but sleep wouldn't claim her. _I want to get married, too some day! I know I told Hinata that I couldn't marry Sasuke, but that doesn't mean that I don't want to! _She thought. _But will Sasuke want to have me after he learns what that guy did to me?_ She recalled how she didn't even know the guy's name, and that she didn't even remember what he looked like. _It's funny. I've always wanted my first time to be with Sasuke, because I love him, but now, I don't even know if he'd willingly make love to me, knowing that that other guy, the creep, have had their hands all over me, and that he's ruined me for any other guy._

Sakura sat up, deciding that she couldn't sleep. _I should start doing something important, like cleaning or cooking...or something! _She got up to do stuff, but couldn't concentrate on anything she picked up to do. _Maybe I should go see Sasuke and yell at him..._

* * *

_Why does my head hurt so much? _Sasuke thought, wincing as he sat up. Then he remembered how many drinks he'd had last night, gulping down one after another. _I should learn how to stop drinking so much._

He got up and stumbled to the sink to get a drink of water. _Man! My head sure hurts!_ He thought back to the wedding yesterday. Sakura-like usual- had gotten into some kind of trouble. _What a distracting woman!_ he thought.

He smelled this really strange odor._Is that me? Do I really smell this bad? I need a shower. I smell very...disgusting._ He took off his shirt and threw it into his clothes pile. He strode into the bathroom, discarding his pants and boxers.

He was just about to get into the shower when someone started pounding on his door. _Who could that be? _he thought, going to answer the door.

* * *

A.N. sorry this is very short!

~NightBeast


	4. Hot and Steamy

In His Arms  
Chapter 4  
Pairing: Sasuke and Sakura  
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, no matter how much I hope to!!!

* * *

Sakura pounded on the door, waiting for him to answer. _Come on, Sasuke! Open the damn door! _She waited impatiently for him to open the door. When he did, she gasped. "You're naked!"

"Good observation, Sherlock!" Sasuke replied dryly. _What the hell is she doing here? _he thought. "Look, I was just going to go take a shower." He thought for a moment. "Care to join me so we can continue our conversation while I can get clean?"

She was almost as shocked as he was. "Why should I?"

"Because you want to more than anything else on earth." he answered, unsure if he wanted to get into this. _Why not? You want her. Go for it. _"We both know that you want to, so why deny it?"

"Oh I do, do I?" she said, considering her offer. _Wait! What the hell am I doing?! What am I about to get myself into?_!

"All righty then. Let's get going." he opened the door, and she came in. "Do you like 'em hot, or cold?" he asked, leading her towards his bathroom.

"Hot and steamy." she replied, boldly taking off her shirt.

"What a coincidence. Me, too." he turned on the water, letting it get hot. "Come here, Sakura." She looked at him strangely, but came closer to him. "Are you nervous?"

"No. I want to know what your motives are because I know you've said that you don't need a woman, so I want to know what you'll gain from this." she said, demanding that he tell her the truth.

"The knowledge of your body. I'd like to know more about female bodies, particularly your body, Sakura." He paused, letting his words sink in. "You'll be my first, just so you know. Please, be nice to me." he said, grinning.

"Really?" she replied, finding that hard to believe. "Maybe we shouldn't do this. Maybe _I_ shouldn't do this."

"Why? It doesn't matter if I'm not your first. A beautiful and hot woman like yourself should have been with half a dozen guys by now."

"What if it's only been one, and it was by force?" she whispered, shocked that she would tell him this.

"What!?" he shouted, extremely angry. "Who was he?" He waited for her to answer but didn't get one. "Sakura, tell me."

_I need to distract him from wanting to know more. I don't even know why I even told him this much! _Her only response was to take off the rest of her clothes and to remove his towel. She ran her hands up his chest and through his dark hair, pressing against him. "The water's warm, isn't it?" she asked, only a breath away from his mouth.

Getting distracted by her body being so close to his, he said, "It's not the only thing that's warm." He said, backing her into his shower.

"Show me."

He picked her up and slid her down his body, enjoying the feeling. "I'll show you, if you really want to find out."

"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want to." she said, moving against him.

He kissed her, delving into her warm mouth with his tongue, and she kissed him back. The warm water sprayed down on them, causing their skin to become slick. He put his arm around her waist, and pulled her closer to him, bringing her into direct contact with his throbbing manhood. "We need to get washed first, don't we?" he said, bringing a bar of soap in front of her.

"Yes, we do need to." She watched as he rubbed soap onto his hands. He looked at her questioningly, and she nodded. He started with her arms, rubbing the soap up and down her arms, then down her sides. He turned her around and washed her back, deciding to wash her breasts from behind, pressing himself against her butt. He cupped her breasts, rubbing his hands against them and between them, then pinching the hardened nipples, imagining what it would feel like to have them in his mouth, being able to lick and pull on them. He turned her around, looking at her breasts sitting there, begging for his mouth. He ignored the urge to bend down and take one into his mouth, and got out a bottle of shampoo instead. _Focus on washing her, THEN playing with her._ He rubbed the shampoo into her long pink strands of hair (it had grown back since she cut it), massaging her temple and head with his very skilled hands. When he was done and all the soap was out of her hair and off of her body, she took the bar of soap from him and did the same thing to him, just not as restrained.

She rubbed the bar of soap onto her hands, and began washing his shoulders, down to his fingers, then she worked on his stomach-which was flat, hard, and very developed, up to his chest, brushing his own nipples a few times with her fingertips, and she came back down, going down on bended knee to get to his legs. She rubbed her hands up the back of his legs, then around to the front of them. She decided to be bold and cupped him in her hands, rubbing her palm against him. Sasuke, unprepared for this, stiffened. "Sakura..." he began, but she silences him. "I'm washing you-ALL of you."

"No, you're not. I'm almost too far along anyways, so you need to watch it if you want to do this in a comfortable place. If you don't watch it, it'll be over before it even gets started." he said, pulling her up.

"But the sooner we get it done _now_, the more we can do it later." she said, putting her arms around his neck.

"All right. I see your logic in that." He lifted her up and thrust into her as she wrapped her legs around his waist. He turned around so that she was pressed against the bathroom wall, both trapping and supporting her. He kissed her, moving in and out of her, finding his release all too soon. When it was done, they were both shocked and amazed at what they had done and found together. He pulled out of her, let her slide back down to the floor, but made no other move to move away from her.

They stood there, under the spray of the shower, letting the steamy water wash over their hot bodies. When they both recovered a little, Sasuke moved back and wanted to know if she was ready to be done in the shower. "Or we could just go for round two…"

"No, let's get out. I'm ready to get out and get dried off." She said, moving out from between him and the wall.

Sasuke turned off the water, and got out a towel for her to dry herself with. "What are you going to use?" she asked as wrapped the towel around her body.

"You." He stepped up behind her and rubbed himself back and forth, drying first his front, then his back. He picked her up and walked over to his bed, and sat her on his lap. She snuggled into him, enjoying the nearness of his body, knowing that it was unusual for him to be all close and cuddly. "Sakura, will you tell me how many men you've been with?"

_He remembered!_ She stiffened and replied, "I already told you: one."

"Who was he?" he asked, feeling her stiffen. "Did he hurt you?"

A bunch of memories came flooding back to her. She got up and started getting dressed. "Yes he did, and I don't know who he was." When she had her clothes back on, she said, "But I don't want to talk about it, and obviously you do." She started to leave, but he got up and grabbed her arm.

"No, I don't. I just wanted to know what happened, but if you don't want to talk about it, then I'll leave it alone." he said, not wanting her to go. _Not when we just had such a good time._

"Do you really want to know?" She said angrily. "Fine, I'll tell you." She looked at him, and he could see the fire burning in her eyes. Not a fire from passion, but anger, hurt, betrayal. "I was leaving the club after I had yelled at you." She took a deep breath, trying to block the unwanted memories, but they would not be suppressed. "The guy I danced with followed me out, and figured I took the back way so he and I could be alone together. I apparently led him on, and he wanted his 'reward' for all the attention I gave him, and all the attention he returned."

"He forced himself on you!" Sasuke shouted, growing angry.

"Yes, he did. I called out to you. I even screamed your name, but of course you didn't come. I told him I was a virgin, but he didn't care. He took my clothes off, pushed me on the floor, beat me into submission, then unbuttoned his pants, shoved himself into me, and had his way with me." she said, shuddering at the memory.

"Sakura…" Sasuke said, looking at her with eyes filled with sorrow. "I never…"

"Don't!" she interrupted him before he could hurt her further. "I'm fine, but I think it's time I left." She turned and walked off, thinking that she was ten times the fool for telling him about this.

Sasuke sat there for awhile, then decided that he wasn't going to let her walk away. _Why should I be condemned because I didn't even hear her screaming?_ He picked his clothes up off the floor and thought, _What happened to, 'I don't need any woman!' Sasuke?One thing's for sure: I'll never understand them!_

To Be Continued.......

_

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_

A.N. Hope you liked the lemon!  
~NightBeast


	5. I Love You

In His Arms  
Chapter 5: I Love You  
Pairing: Sasuke and Sakura  
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto...

* * *

A.N.: Sorry about the wait! I couldn't get to a computer all weekend!

* * *

Sakura was walking home, not wanting Sasuke to laugh at her. _Why did I even want to dance with that guy? I don't know his name, and I don't even remember what he looked like except his black hair like Sasuke's._ She walked through a bunch of people, turning to take the back roads to her home. Rough hands grabbed her arms and jerked her around. "Well, well, Sugar. Never thought I'd see you here again. Didn't get enough of me the first time?"

_That voice!_ "Who are you?" she asked, knowing already who he was.

"Don't you remember me? All that..._fun_...that we had together?" he asked, bringing her closer.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but no, I don't." Sakura replied, inwardly panicking.

"Well, should I refresh your memory for you?" A wicked smile came to his lips.

"Stay back, or I'll scream!" She warned, but he still wouldn't stop. _I have no choice! I need help from somebody, so I have to scream something!_ She drew in a deep breath, and the only sound that would come to mind she screamed as loud as she could. "Sasuke!" She screamed it as loud as she could.

"That name again. Does he know about us?" he asked her, nuzzling her neck, taunting her.

"Yes, he does, actually." She tried pushing him away, but he wouldn't budge. _Not again!_

Sasuke was walking on his way to her house, when he heard someone scream his name. "Sakura!" he said, breaking into a run. _What trouble has she gotten into now?_ He kept on running to where he heard two voices. He knew who the girl was, but he didn't know the guy. _Why does this always happen to her? Especially when I'm not around?!_

He turned around the corner, and felt as if he was a boiling volcano, ready to spew out a lot of lava. There, he saw a guy holding Sakura's shirt, now in two pieces, in both of his hands, and her bra straps were along her arms. "What the heck do you think you're doing?" he shouted, noticing the relieved look in her eyes.

"Having a moment with my girl." the guy answered.

"No, you're not! And I'm definitely not your girl!" Sakura said. "Sasuke, please..."

"Shut up!" Her captor slapped her really hard, and she fell down on the ground in a heap, tears streaming down her now swollen face.

"Sakura!" Sasuke exclaimed, moving towards her, seeing that she was now unconscious.

"I'd stop if I were you," the guy said, holding a knife. "One bad move and she dies."

"Leave her alone. She doesn't belong to you." Sasuke threatened, ready to fight if he had to.

"Really? Who does she belong to then?" the guy asked him, coming closer to Sasuke, an evil smirk on his face.

_Who __does__ she belong to?_ "Me." _Where in the world did that come from?_ he wondered, shocked at what he had just said.

"How's that?"

_Yeah. How is it that I own her?_ Then it came to him. "She's my other half, my helpmate, and we had had a...misunderstanding at the party, which is why we weren't together."

The other guy paled. "You mean...I...she's...your woman?"

_Good. Let him think that we're married. _"Yes, she is mine, mine and mine alone."

"Oh man! I-I'm so-sorry..." the guy stumbled, running off down the street.

Sasuke went over to where Sakura lay unconscious on the ground. He took off his shirt and bent down to shake her. "Sakura. Sakura, wake up!" he said, still shaking her.

"Hm?" she asked groggily. "My head hurts." she said as she put a hand to her forehead. She looked at her, and seemed to notice his bare chest. "Why don't you have a shirt on? I'm sorry, but I am not really up to fooling around just yet."

He laughed. "Okay. Then we won't." He sobered quickly and said. "Seriously though, because..." he looked at her, then down at her breasts. _Don't get caught up in it, buddy! _he warned himself.

She looked down and gasped. "My shirt!" It was completely gone. _That's right! That guy-correction, jerk- ripped my shirt off!_ Sasuke held his out to her. "Thanks." She pulled it over her head and adjusted it. Before she could stand, he had lifter her up into his arms and began to carry her to her house.

"Why didn't you give me time to react to your story?" he asked her, finally coming to her house. He opened the door, and carried her to her room.

"Because I couldn't stand to see your face when you knew everything." she said, watching him as she took off her-_his_- shirt, and when his face darkened, she became self-conscious of her almost naked top. She wasn't prepared for what he said next.

"Your beautiful skin...it's marked with bruises now." He trailed his hand up her neck, then down to her breasts, rubbing the sides, and caressing each bruise. He brought his hand up to her face, and cupped her very read cheek. "Does it sting?"

She shook her head. _Since when is he so caring? When did his eyes shine with such kindness? Or anything other than hate?_

He kissed her cheek, then buried his head in her shoulder. She was shocked when she felt hot water against her neck. "Sasuke?" His body shook with sobs, and she was puzzled. "Are you...crying? Why?"

He lifted his head. "Sakura, I was so foolish. So stupid. Please, forgive me! I'm so sorry!" He had tears streaming down his cheeks.

Her jaw dropped all the way to the floor. "Why? I don't understand." She asked, puzzled. _Sasuke? Begging forgiveness? What has the world ocme to?!_

"Because I said that I didn't need a women, but when I saw you at the mercy of that creep, I was scared. So scared that I wouldn't be able to have you near me anymore. That I wouldn't be able to hold you in my arms, and to kiss you." he said, trying to hold back his tears.

"I wasn't about to die!" she exclaimed, appalled.

_She'll never understand a man and his feelings. _He looked at her. "I said one thing to him, and I would like to follow up on that."

She looked at him and asked, "What's that?"

He took her hands in his. "Sakura, you know that I can't live without you. I need you in my life. I need you next to me when I wake up in the morning, sitting across from me at meal times." He drew in a deep breath, then continued. "I love you more than anything. That's what I've been wanting to say to you, I've just never had the courage to, or the time hasn't been right. And I'm just now sort of realizing it myself." He paused, ready to continue, but she interrupted him.

She was shocked. "That's it!" She grabbed his shoulders and shook him-much like he had done earlier. "Why you...you tell me all that, then do nothing about it!"

_Why is she so mad? _"Sakura..." He looked so helpless, not knowing how to handle this turn of events.

"I love you! And you're playing with me!" she shouted, ignoring him.

"Wait. You misunderstood." _She does love me!_ "I was hoping to ask you a question." When she was quiet, he grabbed her hand. "Sakura, you're the most beautiful woman in the world, and I would be honored if you would marry me, making me the happiest man on earth, and completing my life."

She sat there, embarrassed at her display of anger. Then his words registered. "Yes! A thousand times yes! I love you, Sasuke!"

"You had me worried there for a few seconds." he said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"You know what? Let's go visit Temari and Shikamaru." Sakura said. "I want to play a little...trick...on them." She said, grinning wickedly.

"Oh no!" he groaned, but rose up to follow her out. He stopped. "Get a shirt on!" he said, not wanting her body to be seen by any other man than him.

"Yes, sir!" she said smartly. She got dressed in a shirt, then followed Sasuke out the door, going towards Temari and Shikamaru's house. _Get ready, Temari!_

TO BE CONTINUED...

* * *

A.N. hoped you liked it! And for the record, it's supposed to be Temari, not Ino. The more I got to thinking, I just liked the sound of Temari and Shikamaru. Sorry to all of you Ino/Shika fans, but I think I'm more Mari/Shika. They just...go better lol  
NightBeast


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